SeaTac transportation coordination email

For helping people get from Samish to SeaTac send a coordination email like the following and let them work it out.

Dear Samish attendees,

We're writing to you to ask for your help in coordinating transportation from SeaTac airport to the Samish sesshin site on Samish Island in the Skagit Valley. Red Cedar Zen is not able to arrange this and we hope that via email you will be able to help each other out. We did do some research on options which we hope will be helpful to you.

We are including you in the email because you are either flying into SeaTac airport or you live somewhere more or less in the neighborhood of SeaTac and we wonder if you might be available to pick someone up. Please feel under no obligation, if your schedule or vehicle is not convenient for this, the people flying in can take care of themselves in other ways.

There are three reasonable ways of getting from SeaTac to Samish Island. Samish Island is about 1 1/2 hours by car from SeaTac airport.
1) team up with a 2 - 4 others to rent a car - this is the most self-reliant option

2) arrange a ride with someone else coming to sesshin
3) take the Bell-Air airporter shuttle to the Bellingham "GuestHouse Inn" (not Burlington) stop and arrange with us to send someone to pick you up there, we have many people coming from the north and the Bellingham / GuestHouse Inn stop is very easy to get to.

Details:
1) Renting a Car - an economy car should fit 4 people and luggage and they can be rented at SeaTac.
An online search using www.Travelocity.com suggests that a car can be rented for 8 days for $300 total cost (including taxes),
or $75/person if four of you can go in on it.
Note that you should be on the road by 3pm on Friday to arrive in time for the 5pm orientation and that we are done with sesshin at noon on Saturday,
so you will probably be able to return the car at about 2pm.

2) Arranging a ride. Please do a reply-all to this message if you are able to offer a ride or are looking for a ride. And please include your flight times as needed.

3) Bell-Air shuttle - Schedules and rates are at www.Airporter.com -
Direct link to the SeaTac-Bellingham timetable is: http://www.airporter.com/schedules/schedules-western-wa The Bellingham stop is labeled "GuestHouse Inn"
The shuttle leaving SeaTac between 11am and 1pm are the best options, arriving in Bellingham at 1:30pm - 3:30pm gives us plenty of time to come get you.
The shuttle leaving SeaTac at 3pm (note no 2pm departure) is a bit late but could work in a pinch.
Far is $34 one-way and $60 round trip.
If you book the Bell-Air shuttle for the return, the 3:15pm GuestHouse Inn pick up (SeaTac 5:45pm) is easy to get you to, the 1:15pm (SeatTac 3:45) is also do-able, earlier than that requires leaving Sesshin early.
Rides back to SeaTac may be easy to arrange on site at Samish, however.

People flying into SeaTac

joanna Katz

joannakatz@hvc.rr.com (845) 532-1425

New Paltz

Nate Thomson

athensphotoproject@gmail.com 740-818-3624

Athens

Katie Pearce

katie2pearce@gmail.com
614-395-0071

Athens

Laura Trippi

Latrippi@gmail.com 707-879-8647

Tomales

John High

jhighsasha@aol.com 718-208-6164

Brooklyn

John Bailes

jebailes@rcn.com 6174407970

Somerville

Jeff Buchella

buchella@proroom.com 520-343-3923

Tucson

Fenton Johnson

fenton@fentonjohnson.com 415-235-7898

Tucson

people driving from, or through, Seattle area

Joesph Ryan

joe@convoglio.com 206 402 9938

Seattle

David Levy

dmlevy@uw.edu 206-931-3987

Seattle

J Lee Nelson

lee@convoglio.com 206 284 9886

Seattle

Kenn Sandell

Kenn@convoglio.com 206-372-0863

Seattle

john bazzi

jabbytoo@yahoo.com 206-532-0312

s Seattle

Lesli Dalaba

lesli@speakeasy.net 206-632-0283

Seattle

Ewan Magie

ewanmagie@earthlink.net 206-784-5429

Seattle

Jeff Kelley

jkelleyarch@comcast.net 612-275-9919

Seattle

Brian Retford

bretford@gmail.com 2063497060

Seattle

Jeff Bickner

jbickner@earthlink.net 415 485-6768

Fairfax

A few suggestions on ride share arrangement: For those who might be able to give rides:
There is an opportunity here to do someone a good turn and get to know a new dharma friend AND we will probably all be scrambling in various ways to get to Samish on time for the Friday 5pm orientation. Please offer what you can but feel no guilt or shame if you not able to offer a ride this year.
For those flying in:
Please be as self-reliant as you can be in getting yourself to Samish. There are a bunch of you flying in and it may or may not be practical for Seattle area people to give you a ride. And please be as clear and succinct as you can in email about this so things don't get too confusing. If you do not need a ride, feel free to reply-all and say so.

All of us using our email in the next weeks
Be patient with the little flurry of email that will emerge from this. We know we didn't ask the Seattle area people if they are willing to be a part of this little deal and we may look at something in the registration for next year where you can let us know if you want to be a part of it. If you don't, please delete this message and the next bunch.

We are always challenged by this logistic. If you have any thoughts for how to do this in the future you can let us know.